Respiratory Gating

Monitors the movement of your tumor while you breathe to ensure that radiation is only delivered when the tumor is in exactly the right place.

Monitors the movement of your tumor while you breathe to ensure that radiation is only delivered when the tumor is in exactly the right place.

Respiratory gating monitors the movement of your tumor while you breathe

In radiation therapy, a very precisely targeted radiation beam is aimed at a tumor. The goal is to kill cancerous cells while sparing normal, surrounding tissue. This becomes more complicated when treating tumors of the chest and abdomen, which move each time a patient breathes.

Respiratory gating is a process for continuously monitoring the movement of tumors during normal breathing. Radiation is only delivered when the tumor is exactly in the right place, and the treatment beam automatically turns off when the tumor moves outside of the target field. This technique is used as part of some radiation therapy treatment plans.